Athletic Directors in Maryland’s Public and Private Secondary Schools Sponsored by Game On, Crown Trophy, Daktronics, Digital Sports, Leisure Fitness and Musco Lighting Spring 2009 www.msada-md.org President’s Message The 33rd annual MSADA conference was a big success. Many records were established at this conference. We had the highest number of attendees, the greatest number of vendors, and the most people ever to take the Certified Athletic Administrator (CAA) exam. Two counties (Washington and Cecil) had 100% attendance by their athletic directors. We offered seven Leadership Training Courses (LTC) during the conference. Although not a record, it is still impressive that so many LTC classes are available at one state conference. We had outstanding guest speakers and presenters at the conference. Ms. Suzanne Maxey gave a beautiful speech at our General Session meeting. Andy Pollin, radio personality and author, gave an insightful talk at the awards banquet. Dr. David Higgins made a fascinating Jim Tapley, CAA presentation about his experiences as a doctor with the U.S.A. Olympic team. We also had interesting workshops done by Dr. David Hoch, CMAA; Michael Duffy, CMAA; Jack Holloway, and Mike Gelman, CMAA. The discussion panel workshop was also outstanding. We had athletic administrators from across Maryland and Delaware share their thoughts about current issues. And of course, Matt O’Hare, CAA, our Master of Ceremonies for the awards banquet, took full credit for the wonderful weather we had throughout the weekend! This year was our first attempt at having a joint conference with Delaware. I want to thank DAAD Executive Director, Bradley Layfield, for his efforts in making things go smoothly. It takes a lot of work by a lot of people to put on a conference. The MSADA members volunteer their time and talents to put on a conference which is both professional and In This Issue friendly. I specifically want to thank Karl Heimbach, CMAA, Derek Maki, CMAA and Insert Carol Satterwhite, CAA for all their work. MSADA Membership Application The MSADA is in great shape. We are doing well because of the people who are willing Page 2 to step up and help. I encourage all of our members to be active participants in our Conference Vendors association. Page 3 MSADA 2009 AD of the Year As we wind down the school year, I wish each of you a relaxing Page 9 summer. Please remember that the Summer Institute MSADA is sponsoring the New Page 12 and Aspiring AD Workshop and Door Prize Winners the Summer Institute in July. Both of these events provide great Page 14 opportunities for professional Award Recipients development. Page 17 Crab Talk! Have a great summer. Page 18 Jim Tapley, CAA Matt. The weather was beautiful! Upcoming LTC’s Maryland State Athletic Directors Association Conference Vendors Derek Maki, CMAA, 1st Vice President 2008/09 Vendors Service Awards As you know, the vendors are a key part of our annual meeting 5 years each year. I’m proud to report that we set a new record with 67 Gertrude Hawk Chocolates total vendors this year. We had a good variety of displays to Newsom Seed, Inc. look at and people to make contact with. We had some old faces and some new ones. The hall looked brighter and more inviting 10 years with the changes to the design and the new curtains. For the Dynamic Team Sports first time, we had an MSADA booth located in the hall, which Fitness Resource allowed all of our members to visit the vendors on their way back to pick up the conference gift. The gift this year was a 15 years flash drive along with a beautiful portfolio notebook. Gilman Gear Here’s a breakdown, which gives you a clearer picture of this 20 years year’s vendor hall. First off, we had 18 new vendors, one from 20 years as far away as Utah, and another from Kansas. From last year’s Sports Imports new vendors, we had 10 return and nine vendors who have been with us for 3 to 5 years. As products change, new vendors appear with new and interesting products. Of course, we always appreciate our core group, led by the NEFF Company and Riddell and nine other exhibitors who have been in OC with us for at least 15 or more years. We increased our major corporate sponsors with Leisure Fitness and Musco Lighting coming on board this year. We held our annual social in the hall on Friday evening and it was a blast. The next morning, we gave away tons of door prizes donated by our vendors and the winners are listed on our website as well as in this edition of our newsletter. Special thanks to RCI sound for providing the sound in the hall, including the music, that added to the ambiance. General Session Speaker Suzanne Maxey Please remember, during the next year, try to patronize our sponsors. 2 Maryland State Athletic Directors Association Administrators in Howard County are extremely grateful for MSADA 2009 Michael’s willingness to take on this thankless, but important Athletic Director of the Year task. He has also piloted our scheduling technology, and has in-serviced many of the 11 Athletic Administrators in the use of the League Minder Scheduling Service. Michael Duffy, CMAA When the HCPSS established full time Athletics Administrators, Michael has been an active Michael served as a member of the committee that developed participant in the Maryland State the formal evaluation tool and process. He has also been a Athletic Directors Association, member of the HCPSS Handbook Committee, charged annually serving as an at large member of with revising the Handbook for Interscholastic Sports Policies the Executive Council. He has also and Procedures. Using his background as a special education been actively involved in the teacher, Michael is currently a member of the Adapted Sports National Interscholastic Athletic Workgroup which is moving towards creating greater Administrators Association as an opportunities for students with disabilities to participate in instructor in the Leadership interscholastic athletics. Training Program. He has given unselfishly to this program on both state and national levels. Michael was the head wrestling coach for Mt. Hebron High He has taught or co-taught LTC 504, LTC 506, LTC 707 and School for nine years during which time he helped guide the LTC 720 at the MSADA Summer Institute, MSADA Annual program to its only state championship, in 2002. At the Convention, the Maryland State Teachers Association conclusion of that season, he was named the Howard County, Convention, and the Maryland Association for Health, Physical All-Metro, and Maryland State Wrestling Association Coach of Education, Recreation and Dance Annual Convention. As a the Year. NIAAA National Faculty Member, he has co-taught LTC 707 at the NIAAA National Athletic Director’s Convention for the past He is a District V Representative to Maryland Public Secondary four years. Schools Athletic Association Wrestling Committee and serves as the Wrestling Sports Chair for the HCPSS. As the sports To earn his CMAA designation, Michael developed a leadership chair he oversees the county’s wrestling weight certification initiative at Howard High School called The Captains’ Clinic. program and Howard County Wrestling Championships. This program is a two-day seminar that provides students real- Beginning in 2009/2010, Michael will serve as the MPSSAA world opportunities to learn and grow as potential leaders within Wrestling State Tournament Director. the athletic program of the school. Michael resides in Ellicott City with his wife, Hope, and their As a Certified Master Athletic Administrator, Michael continues two daughters, Megan and Bridget. to develop professionally, attending Leadership Training Courses whenever possible at the MSADA Annual Convention in Ocean City and at the NIAAA National Convention. In addition to teaching in the Leadership Training Program, he continues to give back to the profession, presenting workshops at both the MSADA Annual Convention and the National NIAAA Annual Convention. Michael has been a leader in the Howard County Public School System. He has assisted on four occasions with coaches and athletic administrators from other countries, giving freely of his time and expertise. Each of these groups, from Senegal, India, China and Romania, were interested in analyzing the relationship of interscholastic sports and the academic mission in a Student-Centered, Education-Based Athletic Program. The HCPSS athletic league schedule of contests is a product of Michael’s hard work. The other 11 school-based Athletic 3 Maryland State Athletic Directors Association 115 members in attendance, a dozen vendors, and all at a cost of MSADA Then and Now $15 per member. The speakers addressed topics such as; the “A Conversation with Bob Foster” role of AD’s, record keeping and budgeting, and the implication Lee Dove, CAA, Athletic Director of interscholastic sports. Archbishop Spalding High School From those early formative years up to the present date, the There are times in life when unexpected opportunities arise MSADA has come a long way in making the current association allowing for chance meetings and good conversation. Such one of the finest in the nation. With all of the numerous was the case at the 33rd annual MSADA conference in Ocean professional development opportunities, certification programs, City this past April. professional sponsorships, vendor support, and the well coordinated annual conference the MSADA has truly surpassed As a past president of the organization I had the good fortune the visions of those founding members so many years ago. Mr. to sit down and talk with the person best referred to as a Foster, who lives out of state and has not been at a conference “founding father” of the organization.